Kiradech has appetite for victory

Jakarta, April 23: Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand is hoping to get back onto the winning trail at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters after being recently discharged from hospital.The Thai ace, who also swept aside the Players’ Player of the Year title and Special Achievement Award at the Asian Tour Awards Night on Tuesday night, was forced to withdraw from the third round in Malaysia last week because of tonsil inflammation.He was admitted into a local hospital there and was only discharged on Monday afternoon. Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand“I’m still not feeling 100% but I’m recovering well and will still give my best. Having said that, if I don’t feel I’m ready I would not show up. I’m here for the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters and that says everything,” said Kiradech.The 24-year-old hopes the three awards he won is a sign of good things to come for him at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters this week.“I won three awards at the Asian Tour Awards Night last night and I am very happy that I can make it for this event. To be able to win the Order of Merit title is like a dream come true for me. It’s a great start to the week and I hope it continues to stay that way,” said Kiradech.Compatriot and EurAsia Cup Team Asia captain Thongchai Jaidee meanwhile believes the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters can welcome its first Asian champion since the event was inaugurated in 2011.“There are a lot of new faces on the Asian Tour now as compared to ten years ago. The Asian Tour has grown a lot over the years and it’s always exciting to see Asian players playing well all around the world,” said Thongchai, who has an unprecedented three Asian Tour Order of Merit titles and 13 victories under his belt.“I hope there will be an Asian winner this week but they are also many good players like Louis Oosthuizen and Victor Dubuisson. They are all in good form and playing well. It’ll be exciting as anyone can do well out here,” said Thongchai.Fresh from leading the continent to a memorable draw with Europe at the recent Ryder Cup style event last month, the inspirational Thai captain, who was voted by the players as the Asian Tour Player of the Decade (2004-2013), is also optimistic about his own chances at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters.“Everyone wants to win the trophy but it’s not easy. You need a perfect week to win. For me, I’ll try to do my best like what I do every week on Tour,” said Thongchai.Ends.About CIMB Niaga CIMB Niaga was established as Bank Niaga in 1955. CIMB Group is the main shareholder of CIMB Niaga, with a 97.94% effective stake (include 1.02% of shares of PT Commerce Kapital). The Bank offers a comprehensive suite of both conventional and Islamic banking products and services, through an expanding delivery channel network of 969 offices all over Indonesia as at 31 December 2013, including 580 branches, 350 Mikro Laju units (including 21 outlets attached to a branch), and 60 cash/payment points. CIMB Niaga has more than 14,300 employees.CIMB Niaga encourages people to share high growth and take advantage of all the potential that South-East Asia regions bring – in line with CIMB Group’s brand positioning: “ASEAN for You”.CIMB Group is Malaysia’s second largest financial services provider and one of ASEAN’s leading universal banking groups. It offers consumer banking, investment banking, Islamic banking, asset management and insurance products and services. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the Group is now present in 8 out of 10 ASEAN nations (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam and Myanmar). Beyond ASEAN, the Group has market presence in China, Hong Kong, Bahrain, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Australia, the US, UK and Korea. CIMB Group is listed on Bursa Malaysia via CIMB Group Holdings Berhad. It has a market capitalisation of USD17,6 billion as at 30 September 2013. The Group has over 41,000 employees located in 17 countries.About the Asian TourAs the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Abacus (Official Apparel Partner), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Sponsor), Oakley (Official Eyewear and Footwear Sponsor), Saxo Capital Markets (Official Statistics Partner), Singha Beer (Official Beer), Srixon (Official Ball), Subway (Official Quick Service Restaurant) and Rolex (Official Timekeeper). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Also, visit us at www.asiantour.com, www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf, www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf, www.youtube.com/theasiantour and www.weibo.com/asiantourgolf.

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